Japanese energy company Chugoku Electric has received permission from the local government on the south-western island of Nagashima to study the potential building of storage for used nuclear fuel on the island.

While no details have been given on the project’s deadline, Chugoku said it will proceed with the study that began on 2 August.

The purpose of the six-month survey is to confirm whether or not the prospective site, which is already owned by Chugoku Electric, is a feasible location for an interim storage facility for used nuclear fuel.

Chugoku is proceeding with the survey under the assumption that, if feasible, development of the facility will be conducted in collaboration with the Kansai Electric Power company, which also requires interim storage facilities. This is due to the predicted scale and cost of the project, meaning the difficulty of sole construction and operation of the facility would be too great.

Should it be built, the plant will greatly benefit both Chugoku Electric and power generation in the region in general by allowing for the stable operation of Chugoku’s Shimane nuclear power station, the second unit of which has not produced power since 2012 but is set to resume operations.

Shimane 2, an 820MW nuclear power unit, began operation in 1989 but was halted due to safety regulations. In June 2022, however, Shimane Governor Tatsuya Maruyama accepted Chugoku’s application to restart, with regulators having approved the restart of Shimane 2 in September 2021. 

Maruyama stated at the time that “if the reactor does not restart, the impact on the local economy will be huge”, signifying the growing influence of nuclear energy in Japan more than a decade after the Fukushima power plant disaster.

The storage facility will also likely service Chugoku’s upcoming 1,373MW Shimane 3 reactor, still under construction, which is set to replace the 460MW Shimane 1 reactor currently undergoing decommissioning.